Definition

1. Pronoun:
   • They, them (third person plural): A pronoun used to refer to a group of people, animals, or things previously mentioned or understood from context. It is neutral regarding gender and formality.
   • That group, those people: Can be used to refer to a specific, often somewhat distant or separate, group of people.

Usage Examples

• Pronoun:
  • Bọn họ đang học tiếng Anh. (They are learning English.)
  • Tôi đã gặp bọn họ hôm qua. (I met them yesterday.)
  • Đừng tin bọn họ. (Don't trust them / that group.)

Advanced Usage

• "bọn họ" vs. "họ": While both mean "they/them," "bọn họ" often carries a nuance of referring to a specific, identifiable group, sometimes with a slight sense of distance or otherness. "Họ" is the standard, neutral pronoun.

  • Họ là giáo viên. (They are teachers.) - Neutral statement.
  • Bọn họ là người mới đến. (They/That group are the newcomers.) - Refers to a specific, distinct group.

• Used to clarify or emphasize the group nature when the referent might be ambiguous.

  • Có hai nhóm. Bọn họ thì đồng ý, còn chúng tôi thì không. (There are two groups. They agree, but we do not.)

Variants and Related Words

• Họ (pronoun): They, them. The standard, neutral third-person plural pronoun.
• Chúng nó (pronoun): They, them (informal, often used for peers, children, or animals; can be derogatory depending on context).
• Bọn (noun): Gang, group, bunch (often with a slightly negative or casual connotation). When combined with other pronouns or nouns (e.g., , ), it forms collective pronouns/nouns.

Synonyms

• Họ: They, them (neutral).
• Chúng: They, them (literary or formal, often used for non-human entities like animals or objects).

Related Phrases

• Với bọn họ: With them.
  • Tôi không muốn làm việc với bọn họ. (I don't want to work with them.)
• Của bọn họ: Theirs, belonging to them.
  • Chiếc xe đó là của bọn họ. (That car is theirs.)